Why is my computer so slow?

So you got a brand new office computer a couple of years ago, but lately you’re finding that it has become more of a hindrance than a help to your working day… but what’s the solution? Do you really need to buy another one or is there a magic trick to making it work like the day you bought it once again? The truth is, there’s a lot of reasons why your PC will slow down over time and there is no single magical solution to solve your problems. However, there are lots of changes you can make to help reverse the process and here’s just a few of them:1. Reboot your PCSounds obvious but if you’re the kind of person that never does it, you’ll have all kinds processes running in the background taking up valuable memory and disk space. If in doubt, reboot your PC. 2. Uninstall unnecessary programmesThe chances are, you’ll have clicked on and downloaded all manner of programmes over the years. It’s time to go through them and find out which ones you actually still use. If you have programmes you don’t use - you may want to consider uninstalling them, but don’t hit the uninstall button right away, especially on programmes you don’t recognise as they may be essential to the running of your computer. Best practice would be to check with your (Acting) IT Manager first, or failing that – your Managed IT Service Provider. 3. Free up some hard drive space. If you store everything locally on your PC, it’s time to invest in a subscription to a cloud based storage platform and move your files into the cloud. Doing this is not only great in releasing space on your PC but also provides added security and minimises the risk of you losing any data if your PC suddenly rolls over and dies. 4. Remove temporary filesAs a computer runs programmes, temporary files are stored on the hard drive and over time these can build up. Deleting these temp files can help improve computer performance and free up disk space.5. Empty the recycle bin and clear unused desktop itemsIf you’ve never emptied the recycle bin on your desktop – do it now and schedule a note in your diary to do it at least once a month. Storing items on your desktop for quick access is also bad practice and should be avoided. 6. Perform a disk defragmentationDisk fragmentation occurs when a file is broken up into pieces to save on to a disk. Because files are constantly being written, deleted and resized, fragmentation happens all of the time. Performing a disk defrag brings these little pieces of files together and speeds up the performance of your PC. Disk de-frag happens automatically on newer versions of Windows.6. Only keep programmes open that you need to useSounds logical doesn’t it – but it’s surprising how many of us keep a programme open all day ‘just in case’ it might need to be used again. The same goes for internet tabs. Only keep open the ones you need and it will improve the performance of your PC (and internet) no end. 7. Scan for malwareHopefully you have anti-virus that is bang up to date on all of the PCs and Laptops in your business. If your PC is continuing to run slowly, it may be harbouring a virus. Run a scan now. (note: the scan itself will slow down the PC so you might want to grab yourself a cuppa whilst it does its thing). 8. If all else failsContact your managed IT service provider who can perform thorough diagnostics on your PC and find the root cause of the problem. If you don’t already have a managed IT service provider, or not sure if you are getting value for money, why not give the team here at DGT Technology a call on 0208 819 1360. We offer Office 365 cloud based email and storage, Cloud backup, Cloud based anti-virus and anti-malware, and managed IT services.

Why is my computer so slow?

So you got a brand new office computer a couple of years ago, but lately you’re finding that it has become more of a hindrance than a help to your working day… but what’s the solution? Do you really need to buy another one or is there a magic trick to making it work like the day you bought it once again? The truth is, there’s a lot of reasons why your PC will slow down over time and there is no single magical solution to solve your problems. However, there are lots of changes you can make to help reverse the process and here’s just a few of them:1. Reboot your PCSounds obvious but if you’re the kind of person that never does it, you’ll have all kinds processes running in the background taking up valuable memory and disk space. If in doubt, reboot your PC. 2. Uninstall unnecessary programmesThe chances are, you’ll have clicked on and downloaded all manner of programmes over the years. It’s time to go through them and find out which ones you actually still use. If you have programmes you don’t use - you may want to consider uninstalling them, but don’t hit the uninstall button right away, especially on programmes you don’t recognise as they may be essential to the running of your computer. Best practice would be to check with your (Acting) IT Manager first, or failing that – your Managed IT Service Provider. 3. Free up some hard drive space. If you store everything locally on your PC, it’s time to invest in a subscription to a cloud based storage platform and move your files into the cloud. Doing this is not only great in releasing space on your PC but also provides added security and minimises the risk of you losing any data if your PC suddenly rolls over and dies. 4. Remove temporary filesAs a computer runs programmes, temporary files are stored on the hard drive and over time these can build up. Deleting these temp files can help improve computer performance and free up disk space.5. Empty the recycle bin and clear unused desktop itemsIf you’ve never emptied the recycle bin on your desktop – do it now and schedule a note in your diary to do it at least once a month. Storing items on your desktop for quick access is also bad practice and should be avoided. 6. Perform a disk defragmentationDisk fragmentation occurs when a file is broken up into pieces to save on to a disk. Because files are constantly being written, deleted and resized, fragmentation happens all of the time. Performing a disk defrag brings these little pieces of files together and speeds up the performance of your PC. Disk de-frag happens automatically on newer versions of Windows.6. Only keep programmes open that you need to useSounds logical doesn’t it – but it’s surprising how many of us keep a programme open all day ‘just in case’ it might need to be used again. The same goes for internet tabs. Only keep open the ones you need and it will improve the performance of your PC (and internet) no end. 7. Scan for malwareHopefully you have anti-virus that is bang up to date on all of the PCs and Laptops in your business. If your PC is continuing to run slowly, it may be harbouring a virus. Run a scan now. (note: the scan itself will slow down the PC so you might want to grab yourself a cuppa whilst it does its thing). 8. If all else failsContact your managed IT service provider who can perform thorough diagnostics on your PC and find the root cause of the problem. If you don’t already have a managed IT service provider, or not sure if you are getting value for money, why not give the team here at DGT Technology a call on 0208 819 1360. We offer Office 365 cloud based email and storage, Cloud backup, Cloud based anti-virus and anti-malware, and managed IT services.